


All Who Remain

by Westward



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Family Bonding, Gen, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Hydra (Marvel), May is a good aunt, Minor Character Death, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and some fluff thrown in here and there, switched at birth - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-02-27 01:16:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18728725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Westward/pseuds/Westward
Summary: One reason why Tony had tried his best to keep Peter at arm's length was because the kid reminded him too much of the son he never got to keep. But it seemed like the Universe never gave a damn about what Tony wanted.After May walks in on Peter in his spider suit, Tony finds that his role in the kid's life is about to grow. At least Peter doesn't seem to mind, right?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Yo I just started this in an attempt to forget about Endgame. Because the best way to forget all of That is to live in denial, y'all. And what better way to live in denial than that sweet, sweet irondad spiderson content?

_2001_

There was one point in Tony Stark’s life where many assumed he had matured past his playboy, partying ways. Where people believed he was finally able to take up the mantle of Stark Industries without worrying the company’s PR Department. Where the tabloids couldn’t write juicy, incriminating stories about Tony’s many nights that led to drunken one night stands and pregnancy scares.

Funny enough, it had all started with one of those drunken one night stands. Oh, and the pregnancy scare. Tony couldn’t forget about that. Frankly, he could never forget about that.

Her name was Sophie. Sophia Clarke. A woman fresh out of graduate college, already working on a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. And considering that Tony’s trade dealt with weapons, war, and death, it was a surprise how their two paths crossed at all. Yet somehow they did at a company gala.

It was late December, that party; just a week shy of the New Years party Tony (which meant Pepper) had planned. And by the time Tony had Sophie in his arms, he was already considerably drunk. Almost to the point where the rest of the night would be nothing but a blur. But Tony could remember Sophie’s honey colored hair and light grey eyes. He could remember the warmth of her body next to his as they made love.

It should have been like any other one night stand. It was, after all, just one in a _very_ long line of one night stands. And Tony had rightly assumed that it wouldn’t be the last.

That was, until he had gotten a call from Sophie three weeks later with news that left Tony completely breathless. She was pregnant. A missed period and three positive pregnancy tests could confirm it. That one phone call had left Tony feeling like the floor was about to swallow him up. And for maybe the first time since his parents died, Tony felt scared and unsure of himself. No, he couldn’t possibly be a father. What kind of cruel joke was the universe trying to pull on him?

But a more thorough pregnancy test days later only confirmed it. Tony had indeed fucked up. Royally.

Obie stood by Tony’s side constantly during that first week. The older man acted as the rock Tony desperately needed to lean on, just like he had done so after his parents’ fatal accident. And of course, as always Obie acted as the voice of reason as well, second only to Rhodey. Tony needed the both of them, because as much as he liked to flaunt his genius-ness, he had been acting like a scared idiot during the whole scare.

“She’s only after the money, Tones.” Obie had stated countless times. “Give our people enough time and they can sort this all out. You won’t have to hear about this woman ever again. I'll promise you that.”

“But Sophie hasn’t asked for money.” Tony would retort. “She hasn’t even mentioned it yet.”

“It’s bound to happen, Tony. If not now, then further down the road.” Obie had said. “These things never work out in our favor. Trust me.”

“I do trust you, Obie. It’s just…”

This was only one of the many similar conversations they sat through since that fateful phone call. And they never quite managed to cover any new material or options for the problem at hand. At this point Tony had been growing quite aggravated. A lack of progress always had Tony on edge. Fortunately, Rhodey was there to act as a buffer for the two.

“Maybe convince her to give the child up for adoption. A closed one, where your name isn’t even tied to the child.” Rhodey had offered. He shrugged as he continued, rubbing a hand against the scruff on his chin. “Might be best for both of you, too. You did say that this woman was working on her PhD, right? A baby would definitely get in the way of that.”

And after some consideration, Tony did just that. He called Sophie up to meet him for dinner, at a secluded place where none of the press could spy on them. It was by pure luck that they hadn’t found out about all this yet.

So on a rainy January night in a completely empty restaurant, Tony and Sophie spoke in hushed tones about the impending future. The air around them was tense and awkward, both unaware of what tonight’s meeting would entail. But one thing was certainly clear to Tony: he wasn’t in charge of this conversation. Which was a first. Tony hadn’t even mentioned the word adoption before Sophie had abruptly cut him off.

“I’m not getting an abortion. I’m not giving them away. I’m keeping the baby.” Her voice was stiff and unmoving, with a hint of anger in her undertones. She spoke with such conviction, her grey eyes never leaving Tony’s brown ones. There was a fire in those eyes. “I’m not some employee of yours that you can pay off or hide underneath a rug. The baby stays with me.”

Tony managed to keep a straight face as he followed up her with his own assertions. “And I’m not willing to pay for child support. You can keep the baby, I just don’t want my name attached to it.”

And Sophie met his glare with her own before she answered. “Okay.”

And Tony was embarrassed to admit it, but he fumbled with that answer, half spitting out his drink as her one word answer managed to worm its way into his mind. He certainly hadn’t expected this to go over that easily. “Okay?”

“ _Yes_ , okay.” Sophie answered with a tired sigh. “Tony, I didn’t _plan_ on getting pregnant that night. It wasn’t some ploy of mine to get your money. It just happened. Shit happens.” Sophie had said with a noncommittal shrug. “Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and you gotta make the best with what you got.”

“Let me get this straight: you _don’t_ want my money?” Tony had to ask for clarification. “I’m incredibly rich, you _do_ know that, right?”

And Sophie had just shook her head, letting out a long sigh as she did so.

“Tony. I just want the baby. But...” Sophie paused, fixing Tony with an eye that reminded him too much of his own mother. She took a drink of her water before continuing. “But, I’m asking _you,_ Tony... I’m asking if you want to be part of the child’s life.”

“I already said I didn’t want my name to be attached.” Tony stated.

“I heard you, loud and clear.” Sophie said. “But still, I wanted to give you a choice. A choice you hadn’t even thought to give me… all I’m asking for you, Tony, is to think about my offer. You can be part of our child’s life, or you can walk out of here and never hear from me again.”

She sat up and gathered her things, preparing to leave even before their waiter could arrive with their food. Tony silently watched her, eyes following her movements as she shrugged on her winter coat and gripped her purse tightly. And as he watched, Tony hadn’t quite understood what he was feeling. It certainly wasn’t relief, despite how much he wished that it was.

Sophie only paused once more before she left. And that was only to give Tony one last request. “Please, give yourself a week to think about it. And then you can tell me what you’ve decided. Or don't all at all; I'll know what your answer is.”

That week, Tony spent most of his time in isolation, locked up in his private lab. He was lost in his thoughts, and the easiest way he could process them was while he was working. So Tony worked himself to exhaustion. Not even Obie and Rhodey could get in there to speak with him. Only Pepper was allowed to enter, but that was only to deliver him food or to order him to shower. Even she couldn’t get through to Tony despite her best efforts.

If Tony were honest with himself, that one week was absolute hell. A self-imposed hell. But still, hell.

Because despite what Obie and Rhodey told him, nothing could compare to how Sophie’s own words hit him the hardest. A choice. That’s all she had asked for, for both herself and him. When Tony had first told Obie about his predicament, the older man had already decided what was best for Tony, even if Tony was a 30 year old man. Obie had taken that choice away from him, convincing him what would be best for them and the company.

Now, Tony liked being in control of his own destiny. He didn’t like it when others took control away from him.

But when the choice became between being a free man or being a father, that made Tony pause. Tony never considered himself to be good father material; he hadn’t exactly had the best role model if he were honest with himself. Starks never did make good fathers. And this wasn’t like Tony was deciding whether he should get the red Aston Martin or the blue one. This was a _living being_ that he would be directly responsible for if he chose to be.

And that thought scared the shit out of him.

The logical part of Tony’s mind told him to say no. Say no and stay away. But there was another part of him (the irresponsible part of him, Tony couldn’t help but guess) that wondered what it would be like. What would he be like as a father?

On the seventh day, exactly a week after his dinner date with Sophie, Tony called the woman.

He let out a deep sigh when he heard the ringing intonation stop as Sophie picked up the line without verbally answering. She was waiting for his answer. He paused, gathering his wits before he spoke up. “I don’t think you know what you’ve got yourself into. Hell, I don’t know what I’m doing. But… but I think I’m in.”

And somehow, Tony could somehow hear the woman smile.

“Now, I’m not saying that we should get married or anything.” Tony quickly continued, his voice firm. “I’m sure my lawyers are already gonna a have a field day when they hear about this. Not to mention that the press will have a field day as well when they eventually catch word of this. I’ll only do this if we do it as friends. As co-parenting colleagues. As―”

“Partners?” Sophie asked, interrupting him mid sentence.

Tony nodded his head as he answered. “Yeah. Partners. I like that.”

And Sophie’s answer was soft and kind. “For the record, Tony, I think you made the right choice.”

* * *

 

After that, Sophie became a new constant in Tony’s life. She was there as much as Obie, Rhodie, Happy, and Pepper. And despite how those first few weeks were spent in that awkward state of somehow figuring out new dynamics in their growing circle of friends, Tony found that it was a welcoming change. It was a good change.

Tony partied less, drank in smaller amounts. Some nights he hadn’t drank at all. He became a much more present figure in his own god damn company.

And somewhere along the way, Tony fell in love.

It didn’t just happen overnight. No, it happened over coffee and donuts in the morning, visits to the obstetrician, late nights spent together on the balcony looking over the Pacific Ocean. It was as subtle of a change as the shape of Sophie’s growing baby bump. As winter turned into spring, Tony found he was no longer going to bed alone. And he would wake up with Sophie by his side, his face buried in her honey colored hair.

By the time Sophie was 30 weeks along, Tony surprised even himself and bought a ring. And when he got down on one knee the next week, he surprised everyone else. Sophie was speechless. Rhodey and Pepper happy, wiping tears away. Happy gave him a grin and a nod in approval. Obie was silent at first, but still gave a thumbs up in the end.

“Can’t say I would’ve like it to go this way.” Obie said to Tony after he pulled him away from his fiancé.

_Fiancé_. Tony still couldn’t believe that he could actually say that. He had an actual fiancé, who loved him back just as much as he did her.

“Well, Obie, you know I’ve never been one to play by the rules.” Tony retorted, a smile ghosting his face.

And Obie had chuckled at that before he placed a reassuring hand on Tony’s back. “Nope, you never were… you’d make your dad proud, Tones.”

Tony smiled at that before patting Obie on his shoulder. But he dared not voice his own thoughts. _No, he wouldn’t be. He’d call me a failure for knocking her up and waiting this long to do something about it._ But there was no room to think about Howard. No time to think about his long dead dad.

Because Sophie was waiting for him.

The two lovebirds spent the next few weeks together. Preparation for the baby had already begun months ago, but now that they were in the final stretch, Tony found that he couldn’t wait any longer. His nerves wouldn’t make him sit still, he was too impatient. And so was Sophie, as she already considered herself too large at just 30 weeks. The woman couldn’t believe she’d have to wait another 10 more to pop the baby out.

Tony spent less time at Stark Industries and more time at home with Sophie. Together the two converted one of the guest rooms in his Malibu estate as a nursery. It had already been painted a pastel yellow, and was overflowing with baby clothes, toys, and furniture.

Sometimes at night, when Tony found himself restless and unable to sleep, he would wander his way to the nursery. He would just stand there in the middle of the room in the faint moonlight, taking the scene in. He would wonder what it would be like to wake up from JARVIS informing him of his child’s own restlessness. How even with exhaustion, Tony wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Tony knew in those moments that he did indeed make the right choice.

But Tony couldn’t stay in Malibu forever. He had to return to the real world eventually. When the Stark Industries division on the east coast needed sorting out, both Tony and Obie decided that it would be best if he was the one that did it. Tony left Malibu later that week with only Pepper and Sophie for company. Pepper, because even with his shit together, Tony would always need his assistant to keep him on track. And Sophie came along because Tony couldn't even grasp the idea of leaving her behind when the baby was this close.

Tony didn’t particularly like New York City, but at least it was early summer and not winter. Tony could take the heat, but he didn’t think he could take New York with all that slush and snow and frozen garbage.

But Tony would make do. He only had to spend the next few weeks here, and then they’d be back home in time for the due date.

* * *

 

The baby was 5 weeks early.

One moment, Tony was taking Sophie out to dinner. The next, they were racing to the nearest hospital in the back of their car. Sophie was gripping Tony’s hand with an unsurmounted amount of strength, his fingers stark white from the lack of circulation. The bones in his fingers were cracking from the pressure. Tony tried his best to ignore the pain and he did everything he could to calm the woman as contractions finally began.

God, Tony wished that Happy were here right now. This driver was going way too slow for his liking.

When they finally arrived to the hospital, precious time was lost as the staff spent a moment too dumbfounded by Tony Stark’s sudden appearance. It took him snapping at the nearest nurse to finally find Sophie a wheelchair. And within minutes they were in a room which looked like it was equipment with technology from the 80’s, with a doctor that wasn’t as qualified as theirs. For christ’s sake, some of the stuff in Tony’s lab was better that the stuff in here! And his work specialized in weaponry!

Tony stood by his fiancé’s side throughout the whole ordeal. He did his best to be calm and to help her breathe. His heart broke every time Sophie cried out in pain. There were tears running down her cheeks from the effort of pushing out their child, leaving heavy mascara stains. Every time she cried out, Tony wished to whatever powers above that he could take her pain instead.

The nurses surrounding them offered words of encouragement as they danced around, doing their best to help in the birthing process.

“You’re doing great!” One shouted.

“Give us another push, we can see their head!” Another said.

“You can do it!”

And Sophie would reply to all of their encouragements with another shriek in pain. Hours passed by, the sun having already started its descent to the western horizon. And finally _, finally_ , this was all worth it when the room was shattered with another ear splitting scream. But this time it wasn’t Sophie’s, but their child's.

Tony couldn’t stop the tears from falling as he watched a nurse take their child and wrap them in a towel. Sophie was beside herself as well, fully weeping at this point, a mix of both pain and utter joy. And as exhausted as she maybe, she still stretched her arms out, silently demanding to hold her child.

“Congratulations, you two.” The doctor said as she took the infant and placed it in Sophie’s waiting arms. “You have a son.”

A son. _A son_. Tony had a son. Tony could help but let out a delighted sob.

He was so small, a little red wrinkly gremlin. Almost completely bald, save for a few tufts of brown hair that he most certainly inherited from Tony. Tony watched, mesmerized as those little wrinkled nuggets for fingers slowly formed a fist every few seconds. The boy had stopped wailing for the most part, and now was just silently gasping for breath.

“5.17 lbs. 44 cm tall. A little on the small size, considering he’s premature.” The doctor continued. She paused as she watched Tony and Sophie dote on their newborn son. Out of the corner of Tony’s eye, he could see the doctor smile softly, sharing in the new parents’ happiness. “Have any names planned out? We still need to fill out his birth certificate.”

It was Sophie who answered, and she nodded her head despite how overly exhausted she looked. Her words were soft and breathy. “Eli... Elijah Scott.”

One of the nurses repeated her words. “Elijah Scott Stark. He’s going to be a good man. I can tell.”

“The best.” Tony replied, his throat threatening to close up from swallowed tears. He stared at his son, at Elijah. And now Tony understood why parents thought that their children were the whole world: because it was true. “You’ll do so many great things, Elijah. I know it. The world won’t be able to hold you back.”

And for a moment, everything was perfect.

But only for a moment.

And just as suddenly, that moment was ruined as the machines started to whir to life again. Before Tony could ask what was going on, the medical staff rushed into action. The doctor had a worried look on her face, and she was quick to snatch Elijah out of Sophie’s hands. Tony watched as the color drained out of Sophie’s face, and she whined as she reached out to Elijah desperately.

But just as Sophie did so, she dropped her hands in exhaustion. She looked as pale as a ghost. She had trouble keeping her eyes open.

Sophie’s next sentence was more breath than words. “To… Tony. Something’s wrong.”

“Wait, what’s going on?” Tony demanded, frowning as he slowly took in the chaos that was unfurling around him. He gripped his fiancé’s hand tightly, afraid that if he let go she’d disappear, vanish into thin air. “What’s wrong?!”

“Her uterine wall’s been ruptured, Mr. Stark! We need to stop the bleeding!” The doctor answered as she rushed to work, as if she was rushing into battle. She snapped her neck to shout at one of the nurses. “Get the OR prepped immediately!”

In the next instance, the entire room was rushing down the hall, Sophie on a gurney. Tony sprinted after the medical staff. However, he was stopped halfway down the hall. The strong, calloused hands of a male nurse were keeping him in place. Tony glowered at the offending set of hands, smacking them off his chest as he stared at him.

“Please, sir.” The male nurse said in a voice that Tony found to be far too calm in this situation. “They need their space to operate safely. Your wife is in good hands.”

“I’m going with them. There’s nothing you can do to stop me.” Tony stated, using as much anger and as much confidence that he could muster, even as his heart threatened to give out on him from fear. “She needs me by her side.”

“She needs the doctors’ full attention. Please, give them the space they need to make sure she comes out alive.” The male nurse continued, not even flinching under Tony’s strong gaze. Tony certainly wasn’t the first desperate father to shout at him. “Let the doctors do their jobs.”

Tony hated it. He absolutely hated it. But finally he relented, letting out a large breath he hadn’t known he was holding. But now that it was gone, Tony felt himself shaking in his clothes. He couldn’t lose himself. Not yet, not when Sophie and Elijah needed him strong. _Starks are made of Iron_ , Tony mentally berated himself. He couldn’t afford to fall apart.

“Then tell me where my son is, at least.” Tony asked.

“Your son is most likely in NICU. That should be in the opposite wing on this floor. Head that way and take the last left.”

Tony nodded at the instructions and ran back down the hall. He hadn’t even seen the nurses take Elijah out of the hospital room, as he had been too focused on his fiancé bleeding out on him to notice. Tony tried his best not to think about that; he just wanted to hold his son in his arms.

Thankfully, the instructions were easy enough to follow. Minutes later, Tony arrived at the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. It was a large room, more of a general nursery than a specialized place for premature births. A wall consisting of glass panels separated tony from the room, a sign by the door strictly stating that only hospital staff had the right to entry. Currently there was only one nurse inside, who was working away scribbling at the clipboards on the cribs. Tony stared through the glass paneling, his eyes quickly glancing over all the newborn infants to find his son. There was none that he recognized.

But Tony was never one to give up. He tapped on the glass, which instantly alerted to the nurse that she had company. She set aside the clipboard and approached, opening the door a fraction of an inch. If she recognized him as Tony Stark, her face hadn’t given her away.

“Are you a new father?” The nurse asked.

“Yes. My son, Elijah. Is he in here?” Tony asked, slightly out of breath after running earlier.

The nurse nodded her head. “Elijah Stark? He’s in the incubator closest to the window. Due to how early he was, he’ll be needing to spend the next week or so with us to make sure he’s alright.”

“Can I come in?” Tony asked. When he received a nod in approval, He opened the door up further and stepped inside. Instantly, Tony made his way towards his son, and he could hear the nurse’s footsteps as she followed him. Tony didn’t even bother to turn around as he asked his next question. “Are there any complications that we need to be worried about?”

The nurse nodded again. She picked up the clipboard off of Elijah’s incubator and scanned over the notes. “Yes. At 35 weeks, there’s a risk that his lungs haven’t fully developed yet. We’ll have to watch him closely to see if he develops Infant Respiratory Distress syndrome, and that may lead to asthma further along in life. Does your family have any history of asthma?”

Tony shook his head. “Not on my side of the family. I’ll have to ask my fiancé if hers does.”

“That’s fine. Asthma isn’t the end of the world. Many children with asthma still end up growing up strong and healthy.” The nurse supplemented.

“Can I… can I hold him?” Tony asked.

“I’m afraid not, but you can hold his hand.”

Tony did just that. He bent down on his knees, doing his best to ignore how they throbbed on the hard tiled floor. He hesitated for one moment as he stared at his sleeping son. Elijah was almost perfectly still, his red wrinkled face turned towards Tony. The only movement from the infant was the tiny gasps he did for air, allowing Tony to get a good look at those pink gums inside his mouth.Tony almost chuckled as carefully placed his hand through the hole in the incubator and carefully took Elijah’s small hand in his. It was so tiny compared to his.

God, how was this little thing ever going to grow up to be a man? It didn’t seem physically possible. Where did all that extra mass come from?

“Hey…” Tony whispered. He could feel tears start to form again, and he wiped them away with his free hand. At this moment, he didn’t care that he currently had an audience. “Hey kiddo. It’s me, your dad.” Tony let out a small chuckle. “I know, I know. You got the short end of stick in life. Who in their right mind would let _Tony Stark_ be a dad? Well, the answer to that is your mom. But don’t worry about that.

“Don’t you worry about any of that. Because we’ll show them. We’ll show them together, how does that sound, kiddo?” Tony continued. “We’ll show the whole world how I can be the coolest, most supportive dad. Even if that means I get to embarrass you a little bit when you get older. Because don’t get me wrong, I think it’s my parental right to embarrass you at least once or twice.

“And we’ll show the world how you are the best son in the world.” Tony paused as he felt his throat begin to swell up again. But he fought it off. “It doesn’t seem very fair, because you already have a head start ahead of me, huh.

“...I love you, Elijah. I want you to know that, kiddo. I love you so damn much.”

Tony sat there on his legs for as long as he could before it felt like his knees were about to give out on him. And even then, all he did was drag a metal chair off of the side of the wall and sit next to Elijah’s incubator. He sat there until the sun had long since set, until it was far past when visiting hours should have ended. Tony sat there long enough to fall asleep in an uncomfortable position.

When Tony awoke, it must have been close to midnight. His back felt like it was killing him, and his neck felt like it would have a permanent crick in it. Tony groaned as he forced himself to stretch out of the metal chair, and he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. The nursery was bathed in a dim blue light, and the only other lightsource was from the city outside. The nurse from before was long gone, which left Tony alone with Elijah.

Tony smiled softly to himself as he bent over again to look closely at his son. He snaked a hand back into the incubator and took Elijah’s tiny hand again. Tony ran his thumb over the soft but wrinkly skin, and he hoped that Elijah found it comforting. Tony didn’t speak up, as it threatened the calm, peaceful silence that surrounded them. He just wanted to take a moment to memorize this scene, a mental photograph that he could remember forever.

However, the longer that Tony stared at his newborn son, taking him in, the more he noticed that something wasn’t right. A frown started to tug at his lips. Tony leaned forward and squinted.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Elijah wasn’t breathing.

As soon as Tony made that connection, he jumped out of his seat, sending it clattering to the ground. His heartbeat thrummed wildly against his ears. Panic started to set in as he whipped his head around, desperate to find someone or someway to contact the medical staff. Tony ran towards the nursery’s door and flung it open.

Tony didn’t care if he woke up the whole damn floor with his shouting. “Hey! We need help over here!”

That fortunately caught someone’s attention: an orderly that was making the midnight rounds. They rushed towards the nursery without further explanation, and even managed to gather enough strength to push Tony out of the door frame. A minute later, the orderly was calling over the comms system, and a rush of more medical staff made their way inside.

Tony found himself standing on the sidelines, hopelessly helpless as he could do nothing but watch as the medical staff panicked over Elijah’s incubator. It felt like the ground beneath him was tilting, threatening to send him tumbling over as he just stared. Tony’s ears were ringing, but he was conscious enough to hear the doctors’ final verdict.

Underdeveloped lungs. Asphyxiation. Dead for over an hour.

And when Tony later discovered that the doctors couldn’t save Sophie from bleeding out, Tony felt like his whole world had crumbled to dust right in front of him.

* * *

 

That same day, albeit hours earlier, there was another expecting couple at the same hospital. The child was born without any hiccups, without any complications. It was a perfectly normal birth. But still completely and utterly perfect in the parents’ eyes.

And while Tony Stark’s world was shattered beyond repair, there was another family 4 doors down the hall and to the right, that slept soundlessly despite all the commotion outside their room. A mother who was still exhausted from giving birth, her hair a wrecked ponytail and her skin clammy from the sweat of effort. A father who had somehow wormed his way onto the too small medical cot, who had refused to go home alone. And in their arms they were cradling a small baby boy with tufts of brown hair and wide brown eyes.


	2. A Long Needed Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, sorry. This chapter is heavily dialogue oriented (I tend to be that kind of writer anyways, so whelp). But I needed to get through this before I'd be happy enough to actually begin developing into the plot. 
> 
> On the plus side, I just went over the rough outline for a second time and I'm excited to take y'all on this journey.

_2017_

Tony honestly thought that everything had gone as smoothly as possible. It hadn’t gone according to plan, per say, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. The kid had rejected the offer to be an Avenger, which completely _blindsided_ Tony, by the way. And Tony wasn’t usually blindsided by anything. And most times when he was, it usually wasn’t good.

It had only confused Tony for a few moments before Tony took it in stride, expertly masking his confusion with his usual air of confidence. Peter had been practically begging to do “Big Time” hero work for months, to be treated like an Avenger, an equal. And the kid just... thought it was a test?

It was a surprising moment of maturity, one that showed Tony how smart the young kid was. If anything, it made Tony’s respect for the kid grow.

So Tony just went along with it. In the end, it got Tony an engagement with the love of his life, so who was he to complain?

And if Tony were truthfully honest with himself, he didn’t think about Peter Parker that much after the press conference. Tony had only spared perhaps a couple minutes before deciding to give the kid his suit back. Hell, the kid deserved it after all he had done for Tony (even after considering how that kid had almost given him a heart attack _twice_ ). It only took a second to request FRIDAY to deliver the spider suit via drone in an inconspicuous brown paper bag to the kid’s apartment. And that was it.

Tony spent the remainder of the day back in his residential suite at the Compound with Pepper. Now that they were formally engaged, both had decided to let the media stew over their recent gossip material for the next 24 hours. They’d deal with it tomorrow, curious to see what would be the headlines on newspapers and news stations. But now, with the sun beginning to set in the western horizon, Tony and Pepper were spending time together in the kitchen, making a special dinner for just the two of them.

“It’s a stir fry; it’s a Rhodes secret family recipe.” Tony suddenly told Pepper as he stirred the food in the frying pan. Pepper hadn’t asked him what exactly they were making, but he could tell that she was about to when the sizzling of diced chicken started to drone out the soft piano music in the background. “I somehow managed to wrestle the recipe out of his mother's hands a few years back. Rhodey was so angry that I got it before he did.”

“Well, whatever you’re doing over there, it smells delicious.” Pepper said. She paused in her task of chopping up vegetables to sip at her wine. She caught Tony’s eyes and smirked into the glass, her eyes twinkling with a sense of joy. “With the amount of times you’ve ordered food over these past few years, I forgot you could actually cook, Tony.”

“Huh, maybe I should add ‘talented chef’ onto my list of skills…” Tony added before he returned his attention to the stove top. “Do you think that should go before or after philanthropist?”

“Let’s just wait to see if you burn the place down, first.” Pepper teased.

“Oh ye, of little faith.” Tony said, smiling himself now. “I have never burned down a kitchen, ever. Yes, a lab, once or twice depending on who you ask, but _never_ a kitchen.”

And then Tony added, “Do you have the carrots and peppers ready? I think it's time to add them in.”

“Move over, then.” Pepper responded.

And they continued with their banter until the stir fry was ready. The two didn't bother to set the table, rather deciding to sit with one another at the bar counter. Tony ordered FRIDAY to dim the lights to create a more romantic atmosphere, and the room was soon bathed in a warm orange glow. Now with the view of the sunset, and the steady and light piano music in the background, Tony was prepared to spend the rest of the evening with Pepper by his side. He needed this after the past couple months.

Of course, life seemed to have something else in mind for him.

Before Tony could even take the first bite of his meal, FRIDAY interrupted them, stopping the soft piano music as she did so.

 _“Boss, I have Mr. Parker on the line, waiting.”_ FRIDAY informed them.

Tony only spared a brief moment to let out a frustrated groan, taking in Pepper’s own look of silent exasperation at being interrupted, before he replied to the AI.

“If it’s not an emergency, tell him to leave a message. I’ll get back to him right after dinner.” Tony said. “Or he can call back in an hour, when I’m available.”

 _“Boss. He insists that its urgent.”_ FRIDAY continued to press. For a brief moment, Tony wondered if that was concern in FRIDAY’s voice.

God, what the hell did the kid get into in the past few hours since Tony last saw him? It had _literally_ been only a couple hours, and Tony was sure that most of that time was probably spent with Happy on his way back to Queens. Did this kid just attract unwanted attention like moths to a flame? Was that another one of his powers that he hadn’t noticed?

Tony gave Pepper an apologetic face before let out a stiff sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so. “Put him on, FRI.”

_“You’re connected, Boss.”_

Tony didn’t wait for the kid to speak first; he tried his best to keep his tone light. “Parker. To what do I have the pleasure? Did you see the suit yet? ‘Course you did, that’s probably why you’re calling. Also, do you mind holding for about… eh, half an hour? 45 minutes? Kinda busy at the moment.”

And the response Tony got was not the one that he had been expecting. Instead of the kid’s usual frantic sentences and almost stumbled over words, he heard a woman shouting. And there was sobbing? It sounded off to the distance, not close to the phone on the other side of the line. Tony watched as Pepper’s eyebrows shot upwards at the sound of the wailing in the background, surprise and concern evident on her face. Tony could only imagine that his own expression was mirroring Pepper’s.

Tony heard a few frantic breaths on the other side of the line, and then the kid was finally speaking. “Mr. Stark, please I need you here right now. I don’t know what to do; I didn’t know she was here! And now she’s freaking out, and― and now _I’m_ freaking out. She’s in her room and she won’t come out!”

The kid’s mouth was going a mile a minute; Tony was only able to catch half of what he said through the sounds of crying.

“Woah, woah. Slow down and repeat yourself, Pete.” Tony ordered. “What happened?”

It was a small miracle that Peter tried his best to follow orders. Still, his words were too fast and jumbled together, but somehow Tony caught most of it. “It’s Aunt May. I didn’t know she was home, and I put my suit on. And I forgot to close my door, and she _saw me,_ Mr. Stark. She saw me in the suit and now she knows.”

Oh. _Oh_. So this was the emergency.

“And by the sounds of the wailing in the background, I take it she isn’t doing so well.” Tony stated bluntly. He didn't need confirmation from the teenager, it was already there, laid bare.

“I could _really_ use your help to calm her down, Mr. Stark. Can you come over, please?” Peter asked, desperation and panic dripping from his voice.

Tony paused to think. He gave Pepper a questioning glance, waiting for her approval before he answered. When Pepper gave him a short stiff nod of her head, Tony answered the kid.

“Okay, first step is to get out of your suit if you’re still in it. That might calm your aunt down enough to talk with her.” Tony said as he stood up from his seat. Tony only paused in his steps to quickly and silently mouth an apology to Pepper.

“Oh, ummm, right. On it.” Peter said.

There was the sound of fabric ruffling around on the other line, and Tony shook his head again in disbelief. As Tony left his suite and made his way through the Avengers Compound, he tapped the screen of his watch. The screen flickered briefly before informing him that FRIDAY was already preparing a suit for him out in the grounds of the Compound.

Tony then added, “I’ll be right over. 15-20 minutes tops. Can you hold out for that long, kid?”

“Oh my god, thank you Mr. Stark. Thank you so much.” The kid said, sounding like he was close to shedding tears himself.

“Okay, I’m going to stay on the line until I get there, okay?” Tony said, doing his best to sound calm and grounded for the kid. "I'll still be here if you need me."

He didn’t really get a response from the kid, who was most likely still changing into a set of clothes that didn’t directly connect to his not exactly legal after school activities. The distant sounds of crying grew quieter, but were still present throughout the line. Tony assumed that the kid had set his phone down, because Tony could barely pick up his voice, which also sounded distant and quiet, his words muttered too softly to pick apart.

The next 20 minutes were perhaps the most awkward Tony had ever spent flying. He listened silently and intently into the background noise from the other side of the line. Tony didn’t know if he wanted there to be a change in the aunt’s soft sobs and the equally soft mutterings of the kid until he got there. Tony didn’t know how he was going to do damage control just yet, but it would be so much better if he were there to help guide the immediate confrontation.

Tony just wanted to get there in time to give the aunt a new target. Tony could take the scalding words of a furious parent. He didn’t know if Peter could.

By the time Queens appeared on the horizon, the sun had set beyond the horizon enough to offer Tony some nighttime cover from overly observant and curious eyes. Hopefully no one had noticed the totally conspicuous red and gold Iron Man suit land on the rooftop of the the Parker’s apartment complex. And fortunately, no one seemed to be up here at the moment for a quick cigarette break. As the suit opened up to allow Tony to escape, he immediately hurried to the door that lead to the stairwell.

Tony remembered the floor the Parker’s apartment was on, but not the exact apartment number. But turns out, he didn’t need to, because he could hear the brewing argument the closer he got to the door at the end of the hall. Tony only paused for a second to make sure that he could hear Peter’s voice on the other side of the door (just to be absolutely sure that this _was_ the right apartment. Now was not the best time to accidentally pick the wrong one and accidentally alert everyone within a 5 mile radius that _the_ Tony Stark was in Queens making a house call) before he knocked on it with his knuckles.

Immediately the door opened up to reveal a white faced, panicking Peter Parker. The kid had at least managed to change out of his spider suit, just like Tony had told him to. But the kid was wearing old baggy clothing that looked rumpled. Dirty clothes. The kid was in a distressed grey T-shirt with the Captain’s shield on it (which Tony just barely managed to avoid rolling his eyes at; come on kid, _really?_ ), and that pair of Hello Kitty pajamas that he bought him after that whole ordeal with the ferry. The kid didn’t seem to mind how drastically different his appearance was when compared to Tony’s finely tailored suit, sans jacket, as he stepped to the side and allowed Tony to enter.

“She still won’t come out of her room, Mr. Stark. I don’t know what to do.” The kid explained hurriedly as he closed the door behind them. His voice was higher when he was panicking, which only served as another reminder for Tony how young the kid still was.

“How long has she been like this?” Tony asked as he leaned forward to peek down the apartment’s small hallway.

“Umm, the suit was on my bed when I got home. And I uh… put it on right away.” Peter explained. “So, since I got home.”

Tony quickly did the math in his head. “Kid. That would have been almost two hours ago. Why didn’t you call me earlier?”

Tony watched as the kid fumbled to find his answer. “She wasn’t like _this,_ ” he then widely motioned towards one of the bedroom doors with his hands, which must have led into the aunt’s bedroom, “at first. She was just angry. It was only when I tried explaining things that she started crying.”

“Okay. Anger, I can deal with. Crying, I can’t.” Tony said softly under his breath, mostly to himself but he was sure the kid could hear him nonetheless. Tony turned to Peter, fixing him with a steady stare. “I’m gonna try to get your aunt out here and into your living room. You, go get her a cold glass of water. That might help her calm down.

“And once your aunt is out here, we’re going to be completely honest with her. If she wants to know everything, we tell her. That’s the only way we’re fixing this. Got it, Parker?”

Peter was nodding his head feverently before he dashed into their small kitchen. Tony heard the faucet running as he took a few steps towards the bedroom door. Tony sucked in a breath to prepare himself before he knocked on it lightly. He waited only a second to hear if May would respond. And when Tony heard a small break in the woman’s sniffles, he knew she was listening.

“Ms. Parker. It’s me, Tony. I think we need to have a chat.” Tony said, somehow keeping his voice steady, calm, and even. He paused, waiting to see if he could hear any approaching footsteps. When he heard none, Tony continued. “Peter would very much like you to come out, too.”

That seemed to do the trick. After another moment of tense silence, Tony could hear footsteps against the wooden floor on the other side of the door. Then Tony watched as the doorknob twisted with a squeak in protest before the door opened to reveal the kid’s aunt. In the warm light of the bedroom’s table lamp, she looked like a complete and utter wreck. Her face was red and puffy from crying for so long, and her long brown hair looked disheveled as if she had been crumpled in bed during her breakdown.

But she wasn’t crying now. Oh no, instead, she was fixing Tony with an intense glare that almost made him want to step back away from her. May studied Tony with that scrutinizing glare before she sniffled her nose one last time. May crossed her arms, immediately shifting into Angry Mom Mode.

“Tony Stark.” May stated with her voice as sharp as a knife’s edge. God, _how_ did this woman not sound like she had spent the last few hours crying her heart out? “I want answers.”

Deciding to be the submissive party here, Tony raised his hands, palms open, in compliance. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know. But let’s take this in the living room first.”

When they reached the living room, Peter was still standing in the open archway that lead into the tiny kitchen. He was gripping tightly to the glass of water in his hand. When May’s scalding eyes turned to her nephew, Peter’s own turned down towards the ground. Peter mumbled a quick “here” before he offering it to May. May took it hesitantly before sitting in the armchair by their small television.

This left Tony and Peter with the couch. Tony only hesitated for a second before he took his seat, giving the kid a nervous side glance as he joined him. Tony took a deep breath before turning his attention to the kid’s aunt. The kid seemed to be doing his best of folding into himself into the couch cushions in a desperate attempt to disappear from this situation completely. Tony could understand the sentiment.

And then Tony suddenly understood that this was going to be more of an interrogation than an argument.

May seemed to let them sit and grow uncomfortable within the silence. She took a sip of her water before setting it down and leaning forwards towards them, elbows on her knees. She turned to face Peter first.

“How long.” May said. It wasn’t a question, it was an order to tell her the truth. “How long have you been keeping this a secret to me.”

Peter fumbled with his tongue before he finally spoke up. The kid looked incredibly sheepish when his words were a lot softer than intended. “Last year… umm. Remember the Decathlon field trip to Oscorp?”

Tony only paid half of his attention to May as Peter answered. The rest of his attention was focused on the mention of Oscorp. His immediate business rival. They were known for their ruthlessness and willingness to cut corners for results. The very things that Tony tried to make Stark Industries not.

But what surprised Tony the most was that he hadn’t exactly known the exact source of the kid’s superpowers. He had never gotten around to setting the kid aside for a couple hours to ask him things like that. And learning that it all stemmed back to Oscorp just raised more questions than answers. And they were questions that didn’t sit well with Tony. How the hell did the kid manage to get involved with Oscorp? How how was Tony just learning about this now?

Tony made a mental note to check up on what Oscorp was doing behind closed doors after he got all this sorted out.

His attention shifted his back onto May and the kid. May was still processing this new information. She was nodding her head stiffly for half a second before letting out a long, tired groan. May brought both hands up to rub at her eye sockets. She was muttering something incomprehensible under her breath, but Tony was able to pick out the last of whatever she said as her voice became clearer.

“... a whole year… my boy has been in putting himself in danger for a whole _fuckin’_ year…” May groaned into her hands. She went silent again, deep in thought for a moment. Tony could just barely see her eyes through the gaps of her fingers, and they seemed to be staring deep into the old stained floorboards. “That was you in Washington, and with the _ferry_ … I’m a bad aunt. I’m _such_ a bad aunt. You’re parents gotta be rolling in their graves.”

That seemed to shock Peter out of his own mental turmoil. He practically jumped in his seat, sitting up straighter as he played with the bottom hem of his T-shirt. “No, Aunt May. It’s not your fault! Please don’t blame yourself. It’s all my fault, really.”

But it seemed like May hadn’t heard him.

“I knew something was going on, I _knew it_ . But I thought it was just your average teenage rebellion. I thought a little more freedom would be good for you ever since Ben died.” May said with a slightly hysterical chuckle, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears again. May wiped at her moist eyes with the back of her sleeves. “Turns out you’ve been _fighting crime_ this entire time! Putting yourself in danger… how many times have you gotten hurt, Peter?”

It was here that Peter turned too look at Tony for encouragement, hesitating with his mouth hanging halfway open. Tony nodded his head, motioning for Peter to answer his aunt. He had told him to be completely honest with her; this was no different.

When Peter didn’t answer immediately, May asked again.

“Peter, _please_. I need to know.”

That seemed to do the trick, because Peter coughed the phlegm out of his mouth before finally speaking up. “I uh… don’t usually get hurt too bad. I’ve got really fast healing, May.”

May was nodding her head as she started to take this in. “But you _have_ gotten hurt before.”

Peter nodded as well.

“Yeah, mostly bruises, sometimes broken ribs. Maybe fractures for some other bones? But they all heal up in a couple days. And it doesn’t hurt that much, honestly.” He paused, waiting to see her reaction. When she gave none, Peter continued. “Umm, I’ve been stabbed a couple times, mostly early on. I’m alot better at dodging knives now. And uh…”

And now Peter was acting sheepish again, avoiding both Tony and May’s questioning glances. Somehow Tony had a feeling deep in his gut that he wasn’t going to like what was going to come out of Peter’s mouth. For every second that the kid didn’t answer his aunt, Tony’s mind was left to conjure up all the weird, awful ways the kid must have gotten hurt without Tony even knowing about it.

“Um… two weekends ago a building collapsed on me.”

Surprisingly, it was Tony who answered first. But only because he had recovered faster. But that was only by a millisecond.

“Kid, what the _fuck_?”

“Peter, are you _serious right now_?!”

Sensing that he was in territory for being ground for the rest of his life, Peter was quick to clarify. “I uh― it _technically_ wasn’t my fault. It was the Vulture’s. The… uh, the guy with the metal wings. _And_ I managed to get out all on my own too. So no harm done? Right?”

May was stunned, sitting there in complete silence. It looked like she was shaking, seconds away from falling into a crumbling heap again. Tony took this moment to turn to Peter, motioning for the kid to lean closer to him. Tony steadied his breath as he whispered into the kid’s ear, hopefully softly enough that May wouldn’t hear him.

“Kid, the next time a god damn _building_ collapses on you, you tell me immediately.” Tony said, hoping to whatever god above that was listening right now that he sounded more authoritative than horrified. He waited for a moment, and saw Peter nod his head in understanding. “We’re going to have a long talk about this another day, just you and me. Okay?”

And Peter nodded again. With that, both men turned to face May again. She seemed like she had recollected herself enough to continue on with the interrogation. May now turned her attention onto Tony.

“So what are you doing here? Grooming my nephew to become the next Avenger? He’s 16, Stark.” May asked, anger growing within her voice. “He’s just a kid.”

Tony was about to answer that he had, in fact, _been_ doing that. He was willing to admit his mistakes and complete disregard for the kid’s age and safety. But just then, the kid cut him off before he could open his mouth.

“Umm, actually no, Aunt May. Mr. Stark just wants me to stick to the little stuff.” Peter said, quickly glancing at Tony before continuing. “I mean, he asked me earlier today. But it was a test, right?”

And for a moment, Tony couldn’t answer. The silence hung in the air like a mouse trap ready to spring. God, he was really questioning his own decree of complete honesty right now. Especially when May’s icy glare was solely focused on him. But he had to be the better man here, to set an example. Or something like that.

Tony coughed once before he forced himself to answer. “Actually kid, it wasn’t a test.”

That tense silence was immediately destroyed. May jumped from her seat and started shouting at Tony, pointing an accusing finger towards him as he did so. She was crying again, her words difficult to pinpoint through the angry sobs that threatened to split her voice in two. Tony could clearly hear the main point of the woman’s shoutings: _You’re a terrible person Tony Stark_. _How could you do such a thing?_

Peter beside him was white as a sheet, face completely blank. He was clearly left dumbfounded by this information. He recovered quickly, however, as the shock changed to a strange mixture of awe and panic. The kid brought both hands up to his hair and he started to nervously tug at the tufts; he was fidgeting in his seat. With the amount of energy the kid was exuding, Tony half expected him to start ricocheting off the walls.

“What do you _mean_ it wasn’t a test?!” Peter’s voice was practically a constant squeak at this point. “Oh god, I turned down the opportunity to be an Avenger! I turned down Tony Stark! Why did I do that?!”

“He’s a fucking kid, Stark!” May continued to shout. And now she was pacing on the other side of the cluttered coffee table. “He goes to highschool! He has homework! You know for a genius you’re really fucking stupid, Stark.”

Okay, getting yelled at by two different people was getting to be too much for Tony. He's gotten enough of that for one life time. Tony waited for as long as he could for the two to calm down on their own. But when their voices only started to escalate moreso, Tony found his patience growing thin. Soon his own voice was joining theirs.

God, Tony hoped that the neighbors weren’t home to hear this.

“Hey! _Hey!_ Everyone, just _sit_ down and _calm_ down!” Tony ordered. “Everyone take a deep breath right now!”

And somehow his voice overpowered the Parkers’ own. Peter practically froze in his spot on the couch, but he nodded his head. May stopped mid shout, and she reluctantly took her seat in the chair again. Once Tony was sure everyone was ready to begin again, he clarified his answer.

“Yes, I did offer the kid a place on the team. _But!_ But, I think you made the right decision, Peter. And you showed a lot of maturity when you turned down the offer.” Tony said. “So, no. No Avenger-ing for you for a while. At least until after you’re done with high school.” Tony paused to glance at May, who was glowering again. “I mean, until after college.”

Both the adults ignored Peter’s quiet remark of disbelief that followed after Tony’s statement.

“No! No, _nononono_ . There will be _no_ Avenger-ing at all. I don’t want him doing this at all to begin with.” May flat out stated, shaking her head harshly. “I don’t care if Peter sprouts wings and can shoot goddamn lasers out of his eyes. He is 16 years old. He should be focused on grades and spending time with his friends.”

“What?! No, May. Please.” Peter started to beg. “You can’t ask me to stop. Please.”

“I can, and I _am_ , Peter.” May said, her tone of voice indicating that there was no room for discussion. “No more crime fighting. That is final. You need to focus on your grades and the Stark... internship…

May’s words trailed off as her brain finally caught up. From the corner of Tony’s eye, he could see the kid already starting to wince.

“... this _is_ the Stark internship. Isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Tony answered plainly.

“... So the Stark internship was just a cover up for my boy to go around New York in a onesie, fighting criminals twice his size?” May asked, her voice having gone deadly quiet. And if you asked Tony, that was much scarier than when the woman was shouting.

“... Yes.” Tony answered.

Again, the apartment was filled with a dreaded silence. May slowly brought both hands up to her face, covering her nose as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were held shut tightly, making wrinkles in her forehead appear. Both Peter and Tony sat there, frozen as they waited for May’s next reaction.

And when she spoke again, her words were clipped, sharp, and dangerous.

“Pete. Sweetie, can you please go to your room? I’d like to have a chat with Mr. Stark alone.” May finally said.

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Peter said, still clearly upset as he stood up from his seat to his couch. He gave Tony one last look before waving the man goodbye and shutting his bedroom door behind him.

May waited until she was sure that Peter had settled down before turning to Tony. She looked thoroughly spent, exhausted both physically and mentally. May was rubbing at her temples to most likely soothe a growing tension headache. Tony was right there with her; this past hour was causing him enough stress to keep him up for the remainder of the night whether he liked it or not.

As May started to open her mouth to speak again, Tony raised his hand, palm forward, motioning for her to wait. He then brought a finger to his closed lips before motioning that they should take this conversation somewhere else, like outside in the hallway. May raised an eyebrow in suspicion before she relented and stood up, carelessly shrugging on a fall jacket and a pair of beaten up sneakers. Together, the two left the apartment, only pausing momentarily for May to lock it.

They walked down the hallway until they reached the other end of the apartment’s floor. Tony spotted the floor’s small laundry room and led May inside. Tony made sure that the room was empty, save for the two of them, before following her inside.

“Alright, why are we having this conversation in here?” May coldly demanded as soon as Tony closed the door behind them.

“You wanted to talk in private? Best to do it here.” Tony nonchalantly answered. At May’s confused look, he sighed before continuing. “The kid’s got enhanced senses. Like super hearing, in this case. If we stayed in the apartment, Pete would’ve heard everything we said, whether he wanted to eavesdrop or not.”

At the casual mention of the kid’s superpowers, May looked like she was winded again. She spared a moment to prop herself up on one of the washers that wasn’t currently in use.

“God, it’s going to take a while to come to terms that my baby boy is a superhero.” May said mostly to herself. She then turned to face Tony. It seemed like most of her anger had withered away as soon as they left the apartment. Now all that was left was pure exhaustion. “Will I ever get my head wrapped around it?”

“You get desensitized to it, eventually. I used to be friends with a frozen fossil from the 1940’s and the literal Norse God of Thunder. And sometimes it _still_ hits me that my life is crazy.” Tony supplemented. “Just… don’t freak out if you see him crawling around on the walls or the ceiling, okay? That’s completely normal for the kid.”

“You mean it’s not the super suit that does that?” Somehow there was still disbelief in her voice.

Tony shook his head. “No. It’s all Pete.”

His response was met with silence as May took it in. Tony could see the woman thinking things through slowly but surely. He could practically hear the cogs turning in her head.

“You know, Stark. I should be angry at you. Furious. And don’t get me wrong. _I am._ I am _beyond_ furious with you right now. If I was a good aunt, I should make sure to cut off all ties with you.” May started.

She raised her head and fixed Tony with a steady stare. Tony found that didn’t dare break eye contact.

She didn’t wait for Tony to respond to her. “Peter looks up to, you know. You’ve been his hero ever since he was a child. Even before you were Iron Man. You were the reason why he got into science. And when you _did_ announce to the world that you were Iron Man, he wouldn’t talk about anything else for months.

“And you just… you practically just found him on the street and gave him cool, brand new toys. Told him to go have fun without worrying about the dangers that it’d attract. And _of course_ he accepted them! Peter’s just a kid!” May continued, her voice rising in volume in a mixture of both panic and anger again. She paused to recollect herself, and when she continued her voice was quiet again. “You both directly _and_ indirectly put my baby in danger. I can never forgive you for that, Stark.”

She paused, waiting for his response. Tony licked his lips to wet them before he did so. “I understand. I wouldn’t either, if I were in your shoes. If it means anything, I do apologize.”

May let that sink in before she continued.

“And you know what the worst part is? I can’t ask him to stop. I mean, I just did. But I know I can’t. Because he _won’t ever stop_.” May said with a curt shake of her head, sending her long brown her hair cascading over her shoulders. “Peter’s stubborn; tenacious. Too much for his own good. Kind of like you, Stark. He won’t ever stop because I already know that this is what he wants to do.”

“I know.” Tony said in agreement, grimacing slightly when May compared the kid to himself. He still didn’t like the idea of the kid being too much like himself. “... I have a sinking suspicion that when that building collapsed on him, it was after I told him to stop with the hero work.”

“Oh? When did this happen?”

“After that whole fiasco with the ferry. The kid bit off more he could chew, going after the wrong kind of people, and almost got hurt doing it. It scared me, May. It really did.” Tony stated plainly. “So I decided on being the responsible adult, and took the suit away from him.

“Turns out it did jack shit; the kid just threw on a pair of red and blue colored sweats and went after them anyways, and this time behind my back.”

May let out a humorless chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds like my Peter.”

The two sat there for a while longer, not saying anything. May looked like she was already past her breaking point. You could only drop so many bombshells on a person before they had to stop for their own sanity. And Tony was tired too. This was too much stress on him.

But the kid was his responsibility, whether he like it or not. He was ever since Tony showed up at their apartment this past spring. And Tony had neglected too many responsibilites these past couple years, which only made everything worse.

(That’s all Tony ever seemed capable of: making things worse)

He couldn’t have a repeat of that with the kid.

Tony knew what it was like to be fucked over as a kid. And how that would affect him for the rest of his life.

He couldn’t let that happen to Peter.

“You need to believe me, May, I tried to do everything I could to keep him safe. The suit I made for him? It has the latest tech in it, with monitoring systems that keep me up to date if anything bad happens to him. And safety protocols that automatically initiate If I can’t get there in time. Everything I could think of, I put in that suit.” Tony said.

“So what? The building collapsing on him was just a fluke?”

No. No it wasn’t. That one was on him. And accepting that made his heart twist in pain.

Nonetheless, Tony answered her. “I promise you, May, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t ever happen again.”

“You know, it never would happen again if he stops.” May said, but she was already shaking her head. “But he won’t stop.”

May took in a deep breath.

“Alright, Stark. Give me a couple days to… adjust and think about things.” May said. “When I’m ready, I’ll call you. And we can go over… things.”

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

“This doesn't mean I forgive you.”

“I know.”

* * *

 

That morning, May tried her best to start on the right foot. And for the most part, things seemed to be going that way. She somehow woke up on time despite how little sleep she had actually gotten. And May was only slightly sluggish after going through that intense series of emotional events. The throbbing tension headache that she had gone to bed earlier with had all but disappeared during sleep.

She started breakfast after brewing up a quick cup of cheap coffee, deciding to go with something quick and easy. Bacon, eggs, and buttered toast. May had even managed to not get the eggs over done, which she considered a small victory in of itself.

And when she heard Peter’s door click open, May did her best not to automatically turn around and face her nephew. She wasn’t ready, not yet. May heard his soft footpads as he shuffled over to the bathroom, and she heard when they paused for a slight moment, as if Peter was unsure of something. May heard the bathroom door close, and then the shower sprang  to life. She knew she had at least 10 minutes before Peter came out to join her.

May grabbed herself another cup of coffee before she slid into an open chair. She sipped at her coffee, mindlessly playing at the eggs and bacon on her plate, pushing it around with her fork. Her thoughts were elsewhere. Exactly where they had been for the past 12 hours, ever since Tony Stark left them alone.

Somehow, May was put in the difficult circumstances of being in charge of an adolescent superhero. And somehow, she felt guilty for being the only one that seemed to care about his safety.

Why did it have to be Peter, of all people? There were so many other people in New York that could have been Spider-Man. But it had to be Peter.

God, that might be the first time May actually thought it completely through in her head. That she was accepting it, fully and completely.

Peter was Spider-Man.

May was thrown from her thoughts when she heard the other kitchen chair pull out against the hardwood floor. She jumped slightly in her seat as she watched Peter sit down beside her, his hair still wet but combed neatly, and he was now dressed in a set of new clothes. They caught each other’s gazes for a brief moment before Peter frowned sadly and brought his attention down to his plate.

“Thank you for breakfast, May.” Peter said as he slowly started to push his scrambled eggs onto his piece of toast.

And god, it hurt her heart to hear her boy sound so dejected. May watched him eat silently for as long as she could before she couldn’t bare that face of his any longer.

“Peter. Please. I need you to know that I’m not angry at you.” May said, her words just barely above a whisper. When she didn’t get a response, she pushed forward through her frustrations. “You need to understand that this is a lot to take in. It’s going to take me a while to get used to... all this.”

“I know, Aunt May.”  Peter said, still sounding detached and empty.

“... Can you please at least try to understand why I don’t want you to do this?” May desperately asked, although she already knew the answer she was going to recieve.

“May… I don’t think that I can stop. I need to do this.” Peter tried his best to explain, but he seemed to be at a loss of how to do that. “I have to.”

“You know, I’ve heard that before. It’s that Parker Determination at work. You must’ve got it from Ben.” May said with a sad smile. “He was never one to sit still when he could do something to help, either.”

At the mention of Ben, May watched as Peter’s detached mask started to break apart, showing the emotions he had been trying to hide from her. His lips started to tremble and his eyes started to grow moist. May could do nothing but watch as Peter wiped at his eyes with the back of his sweater’s sleeves. May found warm tears were starting to stream down her face too. God damn it, she was going to break down again.

Her next sentence was wet and broken as she almost choked on her words. “He would be proud of you, you know.”

That seemed to push Peter off the edge. And now he was fully crying without restraint. Before May knew it, both of them were out of their chairs, their breakfast forgotten, and they were in each other’s arms on the living room couch. They sat there together, holding one another, sniffling and wiping tears off their face until both their shirts were snotty and disgusting. But neither of them cared the slightest.

By the time May collected herself enough to look up at their wall mounted clock, she knew Peter was going to be late for school. But right now, that didn’t matter. Peter couldn’t go to school like this. Not until they got through this together.

May waited for Peter to calm down enough in her arms before she finally spoke up.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this.” May said, and she did her best to ignore how weak and hesitant her voice sounded. “But fine. Okay. You can keep being Spider-Man.”

May could feel Peter’s grip on her tighten slightly as he picked up his head just enough to give her a confused stare. And to that, May replied with a loose shrug.

“But, there’s going to be some obligations you need to follow.” May said, effectively putting her foot down. She couldn’t exactly let him loose without some limitations in place; she wasn’t that bad of a parent. “First, no going out fighting crime or patrolling until all of your homework is done. And I mean _all_ of it. And if any of your grades drop below an A, you’ll be grounded, mister…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just wanted to point out a few things in case anyone was wondering:
> 
> First thing, is that maybe y'all noticed how much Tony referenced Peter as "kid" or "the kid" in this chapter. This was my attempt to show that at this point in the story, Tony is still somewhat detached and not that willing to accept Peter as a new part of his life. I love reading fics of where Tony has already accepted Peter as part of his family during/after Homecoming, but I wanted to explore this avenue instead. One of the major aspects of this fic I'm writing is to see that father/son bond between Tony and Peter grow slowly but strongly. 
> 
> The second is that I had difficulty with writing May. I wanted to do her justice. I'm not a fan of fics that demonize her, and in my honest opinion she has a right to be freaking about about discovering Peter's secret identity. While this story is going to be centered around Tony and Peter's relationship, I don't want to just cast May aside. So May is going to still play a prominent role in the future.
> 
> Third, I wrote this entire chapter in the span of about 30 hours with about 5 hours of sleep. So at some point when my life isn't a complete and utter wreck, I'm going to revise both this and the prologue. Not much is going to change too much, just want to edit it to make sure all that grammar is good and can be understood. I'll keep y'all updated when I get around to that. 
> 
> Also, thanks so much for all your comments! I'm glad people are excited for this fic!


End file.
